Mail Merge in Microsoft Word

Mail Merge is a powerful tool for writing and sending a personalized letter or e-mail to many different people at the same time. You can also use it to create envelopes or labels with each recipient' information. Mail Merge imports data from another source such as Excel and then uses that data to replace placeholders throughout your message with the relevant information for each individual you are messaging. You can use it to quickly create personalized messages for hundreds of people at once.

Steps

Adding Recipients

  1. Understand what the Mail Merge function allows you to accomplish. Mail Merge is a feature designed for creating mass mailing and emails, as well as envelopes and labels with different information on each one. You can load a database of recipients or manually enter them, and then use placeholders, or "Fields", to automatically fill in each recipient's information in their own copy. This allows you to create one document that you can send to hundreds or even thousands of people.
  2. Create a recipient spreadsheet (optional). You can manually enter each recipient during the Mail Merge process, which is fine if you have just a handful of people you're messaging, but you'll find things a lot easier if you have a spreadsheet or database of your recipients before you start.
    • Make-a-Spreadsheet-in-Excel.
    • Make-a-Database-Using-MS-Access.
  3. Click the "Mailings" tab to open the Mail Merge tools. If you are using Word 2003 or older, click the "Tools" menu and select "Letters and Mailings" → "Show Mail Merge Toolbar".
  4. Click the "Start Mail Merge" button and select your format. You can use Mail Merge to create emails, letters, envelopes, labels, and directories. You can also select "Normal Word Document" if you're not sure.
    • If you select "Envelopes", the Envelope Options window will appear, allowing you to choose how your envelopes will be formatted as well as the physical envelope size.
    • If you select "Labels", the Label Options will appear, allowing you to choose the type of label paper as well as the size of each label.
  5. Click "Select Recipients" and select how you want to add recipients to the Mail Merge. Recipients are the most powerful part of Mail Merge, as they allow you to replace placeholders, or "Fields", in the letter with each recipient's personal information. You can manually enter your recipients, load a database or spreadsheet file, or load your Outlook contacts.
    • If you select "Type a New List", a new window will open which will allow you to manually enter each recipient's information. This is useful if you don't have access to a spreadsheet with your recipients' information in it, but it is also the slowest way to enter the data. You can click Customize Columns... to create custom fields for the data you are entering.
    • If you select "Use an Existing List", you can browse your computer for a variety of different spreadsheet and database files, including Excel and Access. You can also click the New Source... button and connect to an SQL server online.
    • If you select "Choose from Outlook Contacts", your Outlook contacts will be loaded, and you can deselect all of the contacts you don't want to include.

Creating the Document

  1. Start creating your document as you normally would. Once you have your recipients entered, you can begin creating your document. You can make it from scratch or use any template. It's important to enter your recipients first so that you can use the appropriate fields while creating the document.
    • Write-a-Formal-Letter.
    • Write-a-Good-Newsletter.
  2. Click the "Greeting Line" button to create a custom greeting. You can use the preview in the window that appears to see how it will appear on each copy of the Mail Merge.
  3. Click the "Insert Merge Field" button and select the field that you want to insert in the document. These fields will then be replaced with the data from the recipient database when the documents are generated.
    • For example, if you want the document to display the recipient's first and last name, you would select "First", push Space, then click the "Insert Merge Field" button again and select "Last".
    • For another example, you can use the "Address Block" button to create envelopes with each recipient's address printed on it. Type your own address into the return address area of the envelope template, and then add the "Address Block" to the recipient area of the template.
    • You can select any field that contains recipient data. Make sure that it applies to all of the recipients on the list, as blank fields will be very obvious when reading the document.
  4. Click the "Highlight Merge Fields" button to make the inserted fields stand out. This make it easier to tell how the fields look while editing.
  5. Click the "Preview Results" button to see how the final product will look. The display will toggle to show the Mail Merge document filled out with your first recipient's information.

Completing the Mail Merge

  1. Check for errors. Click the "Check for errors" button to have Word scan each document in the Mail Merge to ensure that all recipients have valid data for each of the fields. Any invalid results will be reported, allowing you to fix them before proceeding.
  2. Finish the merge process. Once you have finished checking for errors, you can finish the merge process and create the individual documents. You have three options when you click the "Finish & Merge" button:[1]
    • "Edit Individual Documents" - You will be able to choose which entries you want to perform this action on. Once you do, a new document will be created, with each entry as a new page. You can then go through and make manual edits to each one.
    • "Print Documents" - You will be able to choose which entries you want to perform this action on. Once you do, the documents will be sent to your printer, where each individual one will print.
    • "Email Documents" - You will be able to define the Subject line as well as select the Field that contains the recipients' email addresses. You will then be able to send the bulk email message off using Outlook. Note that this will immediately send the message, so make sure everything looks good!

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-mail-merge-to-create-and-print-letters-and-other-documents-f488ed5b-b849-4c11-9cff-932c49474705?CorrelationId=663087e6-6d18-42c2-8983-9dd267d12985&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US&fromAR=1
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